Do you have an idea for content area teachers? Please share.

Q-Matrix sentence stems for developing higher order questions; could be used to develop argument prompts
Q-Matrix with directions a more complete document that includes instructions

20 quick assessments which can be used in any classroom
RAFT - Role, Audience, Format, and Task - can be used as admit or exit slips or as a writing to close a unit.
What are RAFT writing assignments?
Check out lots of examples, a wiki page with many RAFT links
RAFTS prompts for Social Studies and History, includes interactive tool
RAFTS interactive tool for Science
RAFTS interactive tool for Math


Ideas for adding expository writing to a content area unit. Includes ideas for formative assessment.

Word Storm: a vocabulary retrieval activity. Modify the categories to fit your content. Categories could be the number of syllables in the words.

Do you need activities to review facts to prepare for a test? Check out this strategy bank resource.

Colleen F. at Laquey used "Tapping the Power of Metaphor" to assess her students' understanding of fluids. See the Freewriting page.

Better Answers: Written Performance that Looks Good and Sounds Smart by Ardith Davis Cole
the professional development presentation, adapted from the book above.






Expressive writing ideas for health and physical education, consumer and family studies, fine arts, math, English and drama, science, and social sciences--ten ideas per class. Ideas come from Coaching Writing in Content Areas which you have in your libraries.

Science Museum: Can't take your class to the rain forest or the ocean but you would like to broaden their experiences of the world and assess what they understood about their lessons on earth's features? Create a classroom museum by asking students to bring in an item that represents the science topic with an explanation of the representation. Ask for a single object so the students have to think metaphorically and aren't tempted to create a diorama or drawing.